Takuya Kai drove in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning to lead Japan over the MLB All-Stars 6-5 Wednesday and give the hosts a 4-1 lead in their six-game exhibition series.
Kai's double to left off Dan Otero allowed Seiji Uebayashi to score from first as Japan rallied after being down by four runs and clinched the series with one game remaining.
"They did a nice job of battling our guys and putting the ball in play," MLB manager Don Mattingly said. "They had a number of hits the opposite way and they've gotten big hits. You know, there isn't any way to go around it, they did a nice job."
All Japan catcher Takuya Kai, second from right, celebrates with teammates after beating MLB All-Stars 6-5 in Game 5 at their All-Stars Series baseball at Nagoya Dome in Nagoya, central Japan, Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018. (Kyodo News via AP)
MLB built up a 5-1 lead through six innings but Japan tied the game with four runs off Hector Velazquez in the seventh.
Kai hit an RBi single to right to cut the lead to 5-2.
Kazuki Tanaka then hit a come-backer to Velazquez, who threw the ball into center field allowing Uebayashi to score from third to make it 5-3.
Pinch hitter Hotaka Yamakawa then hit a game-tying double to the gap in left-center field.
Yadier Molina doubled in a run in the fourth to make it 4-1 and Carlos Santana hit an RBI single in the sixth that scored Amed Rosario from second.
Rhys Hoskins hit two-run homer to left in the second off Japan starter Nao Higashihama, and Juan Soto drove in a run in the third for a 3-1 lead.
Kazuma Okamoto hit a solo homer in the second off MLB starter Junior Guerra.
Yu Sato worked a scoreless eighth for the win and Yuki Matsui recorded three outs in the ninth for the save.
Otero took the loss. The final game is on Thursday at Nagoya Dome.
This story has been corrected to show that the player's name is Takuya Kai, not Takuyuki Kai.
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NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Yankees acquired left-hander Ryan Weathers from the Miami Marlins on Tuesday for four prospects, a move to bolster a rotation that will be missing Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón when the season starts.
Miami received outfielders Brendan Jones and Dillon Lewis and infielders Dylan Jasso and Juan Matheus, all of whom are 21 to 23 years old.
Weathers, 26, was 2-2 with a 3.99 ERA in eight starts last year in his second straight injury-shortened season. He missed time with a strained left flexor, made his season debut on May 14, then didn't pitch for Miami between June 7 and Sept. 11 because of a left lat strain.
He was 5-6 with a 3.63 ERA over 16 starts in 2024, when he was sidelined by a strained left index finger. He is a son of former Yankee David Weathers; they are the fifth father-son pair to play for the Yankees, including Yogi and Dale Berra and Clay and Cody Bellinger.
Eligible for arbitration for the first time, Weathers agreed last week to a one-year, $1.35 million contract. He is on track to become eligible for free agency after the 2028 World Series.
New York's rotation projects to include Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren and Luis Gil.
Cole is expected to return to the Yankees in May or June following Tommy John surgery last spring, and Rodón is projected back in late April or May after surgery this offseason to remove loose bodies in his left elbow and shave a bone spur.
The Yankees re-signed Ryan Yarbrough for pitching depth and have a pending agreement to re-sign Paul Blackburn.
Miami dealt its second pitcher in a week after sending Edward Cabrera to the Chicago Cubs.
Lewis, 22, is a 13th-round draft pick who batted .237 with 22 homers and 79 RBIs in Class A last season. Jones, 23, is a 12th-rounder who hit .245 with 11 homers and 69 RBIs in Class A and Double-A. Jasso, 23, an undrafted free agent, batted .257 with 13 homers and 76 RBIs with Double-A Somerset. Matheus, 21, is a native of Venezuela who signed as an undrafted free agent in 2022 and batted .275 with three homers and 56 RBIs for Class A Tampa last season.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
FILE - Miami Marlins starting pitcher Ryan Weathers throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Sept. 24, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson, File)
